PHIL 120: PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY: PHILOSOPHY AND FILM

Earlham College, Fall Semester 2005-2006
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11:00-11:50, Carpenter 315 and Monday 4:00, Bolling Center 105
Instructor: Ferit Güven
Office: Carpenter 328
Office Hours: Wednesday, Friday 10:00-11:00, and by appointment
Office Phone: 983-1399 (voice mail)
e-mail: guvenfe@earlham.edu
web page: http://www.earlham.edu/~guvenfe/

Course Description: This course aims to introduce you to philosophy through film. We will explore two sets of interrelated questions: First, how are philosophical problems depicted and dealt with in motion pictures? Are visual narratives effective ways of processing philosophical ideas? Second, how does philosophy help us to understand and interpret visual narratives? Does a familiarity with philosophical problems allow us to see various conceptual layers of visual narratives? In addition to reading several texts concerning philosophical problems we will discuss movies. The general concentration of this course will be the question of the self that emerges in modernity and its relationship to existence and ethics. We will also address other important philosophical themes such as justice, race, colonialism, and gender.

Required Texts: (available in the Earlham College bookstore)
Plato, Republic, trans. G.M.A. Grube, (Indianapolis: Hackett, 1992)
Rene Descartes, Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy, trans. Donald A. Cress, (Indianapolis: Hackett, 1998)
Immanuel Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, (Indianapolis: Hackett, 1981)
Simone de Beauvoir, Ethics of Ambiguity, (New York: Philosophical Library, 1995)
Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish, (New York: Vintage Books, 1976)

In addition to these texts, there will be the following reading material placed on reserve at the Lilly Library:
David Hume, "Of Personal Identity" from A Treatise of Human Nature, ed. L.A. Selby-Bigge, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1978), 251-263.
Judith Butler, "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory," Theatre Journal, (December 1988), 49(1):519-531.
Frantz Fanon,"Concerning Violence" and "Violence in the International Context" from The Wretched of the Earth, (New York: Grove Press, 1963), 35-106.

Reading Assignments:
The amount of reading you will be doing throughout the semester is not much. Therefore, I expect you to read every text assigned for the week very carefully at least twice. As you will see, some of the passages we will read are very difficult. An important aim of this class is to learn how to read and think about a text.

Course Requirement and Evaluation:
You are expected to write two 5-6 page papers: I will provide paper topics for each assignment. You are also allowed to decide on your own topic provided that you discuss your topic with me at least a week before the deadline. Along with the paper topics I will also provide specific guidelines for each topic. Besides this, for every paper (including papers on topics of your own choice) you are responsible for following the general guidelines that will be provided.
Every student will prepare a one (to two) paged review of the film we view on Monday. These reviews will be due on every Friday. The aim of these assignments is to think explicitly about the connection between the movies we view and the texts we read. I will provide specific guidelines for this assignment. You also will fulfill a library assignment, where you have to find reviews of the movies we watch and discuss them. The library staff will help you with this assignment. There may be announced or unannounced quizzes either at the beginning or at the end of the sessions. There will be no make-ups for the quizzes.
There will be no final examination!
Your grade will be calculated according to the following distribution: Paper I: 25%, Paper II: 25%, Review Essays: 30%, Library Assignment: 10%
Class Participation and Attendance: 10%.

Participation and Attendance:
Even though participation counts for only 10% of your grade, it may still mean a lot if you are between two grades, e.g., A and A-. However, I expect you to participate not simply for the sake of your grade, but hopefully because you will be interested in what will be discussed in class. The success of this course depends on your contribution. You need to come to class prepared (having read the assigned readings, and ready to answer questions) and ready to participate in the discussions.
If you miss more than six classes you will fail this course regardless of your grade.
Our sessions will start at 11:00 am. Students are expected to come on time. Walking in and out of the classroom while the session is in progress is extremely disruptive for everybody. I ask you not to do these. I will mark late students absent, and reduce their grade.
Office hours are for students to discuss ideas, assignments and questions. You are encouraged and welcome to come by my office or make appointments for times other than scheduled office hours. You should take advantage of office hours and appointments not simply to discuss your papers (you are obviously welcome to do that too) but also to understand ideas, and texts discussed in class.
Any student with a documented disability (e.g., physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the instructor and Disability Services Office (Academic Support Services) at the beginning of the semester. Accommodation arrangements must be made during the first-two weeks of the semester.

Calendar: There will be several modifications to this calendar. It is your responsibility to be aware of these changes. These changes will be announced in class. If you miss a class you should make sure that you are informed about the assignments for the next session.

Week 1: August 24:  Introduction to the course

Week 2:
August 29:  Plato, Republic, Book 1
August 31: Plato, Republic, Book 1-2
September 2: Plato, Republic, Book 2

Week 3:
September 5:  Plato, Republic, Book 6. Film: Matrix
September 7:  Plato, Republic, Book 6-7
September 9:  Plato, Republic, Book 7

Week 4:
September 12:  Descartes, Discourse on Method, Part One and Part Two. Film: Crimes and Misdemeanors
September 14:  Descartes, Meditations, 1 and 2.
September 16:  Descartes, Meditations, 1 and 2.

Week 5:
September 19: Descartes, Discourse on Method, Part Three and Part Four; Film: Memento
September 21: Descartes, Meditations, 3
September 23: Descartes, David Hume, "Of Personal Identity"

Week 6:
September 26:  Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Preface and First Section. Film: Minorty Report
September 28:  Kant, Grounding, First Section
September 30:  Kant, Grounding, Second Section; First Paper Due

Week 7:
October 3: Kant, Grounding, Second Section. Film: Sophie's Choice
October 5: Kant, Grounding, Second and Third Sections
October 7: Kant, Grounding, Third Section

Week 8:
October 10: DeBeauvoir, Ethics of Ambiguity. Film: Hannah and her Sisters
October 12: DeBeauvoir, Ethics of Ambiguity
October 14: DeBeauvoir, Ethics of Ambiguity

Week 9:
October 17: DeBeauvoir, Ethics of Ambiguity. Film: The Seventh Seal
October 19: DeBeauvoir, Ethics of Ambiguity
October 21: DeBeauvoir, Ethics of Ambiguity

Week 10:
October 24: Foucault, Discipline and Punish. Film: A Clockwork Orange
October 26: Foucault, Discipline and Punish
October 28: Foucault, Discipline and Punish

Week 11:
October 31:  Foucault, Discipline and Punish. Film: The Wild Child
November 2: Foucault, Discipline and Punish
November 4: Foucault, Discipline and Punish

Week 12:
November 7: Foucault, Discipline and Punish. Film: Malcolm X
November 9: Foucault, Discipline and Punish
November 11: Foucault, Discipline and Punish

Week 13:
November 14: Butler, "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory. Film: The Crying Game
November 16: Butler, "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory
November 18: Butler, "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory

November 21-November 25:  Fall Break 

Week 14:
November 28: Fanon, "Concerning Violence" Film: The Battle of Algiers; Second Paper Due
November 30: Fanon, "Concerning Violence"
December 2:  Fanon, "Concerning Violence"

Week 15:
December 5: TBA
December 7: Review
December 9: Evaluation

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